Modular decorative wall construction



Dec. 29, 1.970 L. E. KLEIN MODULAR DECORATIVE WALL CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 1t Original Filed Dec.

FIG. 2

I-NVENTOR LOUIS E. A n

KLEIN ATTORNEYS Dec. 29, 1970 1.. E. KLEIN MODULAR DECORATIVE WALL CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Dec. 15, 1966 INVENTOR LOUIS E. KLEIN A A: Mn;

ATTORNEYS United States Patent MODULAR DECORATIVE WALL CONSTRUCTION Louis E. Klein, Long Beach, N.Y., assignor to Parkline gorporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New ork Original application Dec. 15, 1966, Ser. No. 602,056, new Patent No. 3,458,963, dated Aug. 5, 1969. Divided and this application July 29, 1969, Ser. No. 845,704

Int. Cl. E04b 2/76; E041? 13/08, 19/02 US. Cl. 52--312 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention is a modular decorative wall construction, particularly suitable for use in elevator cabs. A series of vertical brackets is provided, each having a right angle U-shaped channel with two outwardly extending flanges and two inwardly extending guides. The brackets are attached to the walls of the cab and the two flanges on each bracket secure the side edges of two adjacent wall panels. Flexible strips of material are contained within the guides of each bracket for decorative purposes.

This invention relates to the mounting of decorative panels on walls, and more particularly to the mounting of decorative panels on the interior of an elevator cab. This application is a division of my application ,Ser. No. 602,056 filed on Dec. 15, 1966 now Pat. No. 3,458,963.

For aesthetic purposes elevator cabs are often provided with decorative wood panels attached to the walls within the cab. The width of each panel may be a few feet, and the panel generally extends substantially all the way from the floor to the ceiling. Very often a relatively narrow strip of decorative material is placed between adjacent panels. The strip serves to mask the bracket holding adja cent panels in place.

Various problems have been encountered with prior art arrangements. It is often necessary to change a panel, e.g., if it is ruined by vandals. For this reason the brackets holding the panels in place must be capable of relatively simple release. At the same time the technique for releasing the brackets should not be too obvious in order that unauthorized persons not be tempted to remove the panels.

Because the decorative strips separating adjacent panels also often need replacement they should be easily removable, but again the manner of removing them should not be too apparent. Moreover, these decorative strips should be replaceable without necessitating the removal of the brackets from the wall. Prior art constructions have not been fully successful in this regard either.

Another shortcoming with prior art designs is that difficulties have been encountered in securing edges of the panels at the corners of the cab.

It is a general object of this invention to provide modular construction elements which enable the rapid installation and replacement of decorative wall panels and separating decorative strips which overcome the aforesaid disadvantages.

In accordance with the principles of my invention I provide a bracket with two side flanges extending outwardly from a central right angle U-shaped channel. The bracket is secured to the wall and the extending flanges serve to grip the side edges of two adjacent wall panels. At the interior of the U-shaped channel there is provided two inwardly extending flanges or guides. These guides serve to grip a flexible decorative strip which is snaked through the guides from the bottom or top of the channel.

The decorative strip serves to mask the bracket as well as the screws securing it to the walls.

To replace a decorative strip it is only necessary to snake it out of the guides and to substitute a new one.

Patented Dec. 29, 1970 To remove the adjacent panels it is only necessary to remove the decorative strip and to then unscrew the now exposed screws securing the bracket to the wall. A particular advantage of the construction is that it is not necessary to remove a bracket in order to insert an associated decorative strip. Because the strips used in the illustrative embodiments of the invention are flexible, they may be unwound from a roll of strip material and snaked through the bracket guides from the bottom or top of the wall.

With respect to the corner construction it is not necessary to use any additional hardware, the basic bracket being capable of holding two adjacent perpendicular wall panels in place at a corner. However, for maximum rigidity I provide, in the first illustrative embodiment of my invention, a right angle U-shaped clip bracket which when used in conjunction with one of the basic brackets holds the two perpendicular panels securely in place. The U-shaped clip bracket is completely hidden by the basic bracket element with which it is used. In the second illustrative embodiment of my invention two specially designed brackets are used at each corner. One of these is similar to the basic bracket although part of it is cut away. The other is also similar but has a slightly different configuration. The advantage of using the two brackets at each corner is that two decorative strips may be provided at the corner, one for each Wall. This adds materially to the symmetry of the overall design. (Of course, a single corner bracket having the configuration of the two specially designed brackets as they are connected together at the corner may be used for this purpose.)

It is a feature of my invention to provide a bracket having two outwardly extending flanges for securing adjacent wall panels and two inwardly extending guides for securing a flexible decorative strip.

It is another feature of my invention, in the first illustrative embodiment thereof, to provide an additional U- shaped clip channel for use with a basic bracket at the corner where two walls meet, the additional clip enhancing the rigidity of the structure but being masked by the basic bracket with which it is used.

It is another feature of my invention, in the second illustrative embodiment thereof, to provide a unique corner bracket construction which enables two decorative strips, one on each wall, to be placed at each corner in order that the overall design be symmetrical.

Further objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the units used in the first illustrative embodiment of the invention, the various units being shown in a manner such that their successive installations in the elevator cab will be apparent;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken through line 22 of FIG. 1, which however shows all of the various units in place and further shows the decorative strips which are omitted from FIG. 1 for the sake of clarity;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view which depicts in greater detail the configuration of the basic bracket used in the illustrative embodiments of the invention as it is installed in a finished cab interior;

FIG. 4 is similar to FIG. 3 but shows the bottom of the basic bracket with a decorative strip being shown in the process of installation;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of two corner brackets used in the second illustrative embodiment of my invention to enable two decorative strips to be placed at each corner, one on each wall; and

FIG. 6 is a sectional view similar to that of FIG. 2 for the second illustrative embodiment of the invention.

For the elevator cab of FIG. 1, only the two walls 10 and 11 are shown together with floor 9. The decorative panels are attached to the other walls in a similar manner. As for the ceiling of the cab, I have found that a most pleasing effect is obtained if it is of the hanging type. In such a case the various brackets and panels need not extend all the way up to the top of the walls inasmuch as the hanging ceiling extends below the upper edges of the brackets and panels. The hanging ceiling is not shown in FIG. 1 because it does not form an element of my invention. Alternatively, if a hanging ceiling is not used, the most aesthetically pleasing arrangement is one in which the various brackets and panels extend to the top of each wall.

The first step in the overall construction is the fixing of plastic base material 12 around the bottom of the cab. Typically, the plastic base may be one sixteenth of an inch in thickness and six inches in height. The plastic base may be secured by any of many well known techniques. The purpose of the base is three-fold. First, it is aesthetically pleasing. Second, it enables the decorative strips to be snaked into each bracket from the bottom thereof, as will be described with reference to FIG. 4. Third, it forms a support for the decorative panels After the plastic base is installed the U-shaped bracket or clip 13 is secured at the cab corner to wall by two screws 14. The clip is provided with one short leg 8 and another long leg 7. The long leg is placed against wall 11. The function of the clip is to secure wall panel within the channel. The clip extrusion may also be one-sixteenth of an inch in thickness in order that the inside face of the channel fit flush against base member 12.

Wall panel 15 is then placed against wall 11 and pushed to the left as shown in the drawing until the leftmost edge fits snugly within the clip channel. The panel itself is not secured to wall 11. Instead, it is held in place by clip 13 and bracket 2%. The panel rests on top of base 12. In the event the base is not provided (in such a case as will become apparent with reference to FIG. 4 the flexible decorative strips may be snaked into the bracket guides at the top of the cab) the wall panels as well as the various brackets may extend to the bottom of the cab, or alternatively additional elements may be pro vided to prevent the panels from sliding down to the floor level.

After panel 15 is inserted into clip 13, bracket b is attached to wall 11. Two screws 17 secure the bracket to the wall. As seen most clearly in FIG. 3, each bracket 20 is provided with a face 28, two sides 26, two outwardly extending flanges and two inwardly extending guides 27. Bracket 20b is placed against wall 11 in a position such that the leftmost side 26 and flange 25 conform to the rightmost edge of panel 15. When the bracket is attached to the wall the panel is held fixed between the bracket and clip 13 as it rests on base 12.

Another panel 16 is then inserted at its left edge within the other flange 25 of bracket 20]). Another bracket, not shown, is attached to the other edge of panel 16. In a similar manner additional panels and brackets may be secured to wall 11 along its length.

A typical corner construction is shown in FIG. 1. The corner hardware consists of clip 13 and a basic bracket 20a. The bracket is placed against wall 10 in such a manner that the rightmost flange 25 fits over short leg 8 of the clip. The corner construction is seen most clearly in FIG. 2. Preferably, wall panel 15 is inserted into clip 13 prior to the attachment of bracket 20a to Wall 10. Otherwise it is possible to attach bracket 20a with the rightmost flange 25 extending into the channel formed by legs 7 and 8 of clip 13, thus preventing the subsequent insertion of panel 15 into the clip. It is apparent from FIGS. 1 and 2 that with bracket 20a in place, clip 13 is completely obscured from view. With panel 15 in place the only exposed portion of the clip is leg 8, and when bracket 20a is attached to wall 10 this leg is also hidden from view.

After bracket 20a is installed, Wall panel 18 is placed 1 within the leftmost flange 25 of the bracket. Bracket 200 is then attached to wall 10 to hold panel 18 in place. Additional panels and brackets are then attached as required depending upon the width of wall 10.

FIG. 2 shows the cross section of walls 10 and 11 with the brackets and panels assembled in the finished state. (An additional bracket 20d is shown in FIG. 2 at the rightmost edge of panel 16.) FIG. 2 also shows a series of decorative strips 30 in place within the bracket guides, the manner of inserting these strips becoming apparent upon a consideration of FIG. 4.

FIG. 4 depicts the lower portion of panels 15 and 16, and bracket 2%. FIG. 4 also clearly shows base 12 at the bottom of the cab against wall 11. The extrusion thickness of each of the basic brackets is also onesixteenth of an inch, This enables inner face 28 to extend outward from wall 11 to the same degree as the exposed face of base 12. Decorative strip material 30, which preferably comes on a roll, is snaked through guides 27 of the bracket from the bottom of the cab. Because the decorative strip is flexible it may be bent slightly as shown in FIG. 4 as it is pulled up through guides 27.

A hole 41 may be punched at the forward end of the strip. The strip is pulled up through guides 27 until the upper edge of the strip is slightly above the upper edge of bracket 20b. With hole 41 at a level above the top of the bracket a screw may be inserted through the hole into wall 11 to secure the strip within the bracket. At the lower edge of the bracket the roll of material is cut such that the lower edge of strip 30!) is flush against the lower edge of bracket 20b. Although it is not necessary to attach strip 301) at its upper edge to the wall, if it is expected that vandals will attempt to slide the strip out of the bracket it is preferable to secure it to the wall as described above. The extension of the strip above the upper level of the bracket does not mar the pleasing appearance of the construction because it is obscured by the hanging ceiling. If a hanging ceiling is not used it is possible to secure the decorative strip to the bracket with the use of one of screws 17 which serves to secure the bracket to the wall. Other alternatives are equally available.

The overall construction provides numerous advantages. The installation is quite simple as described above. But what is equally as important is the ease of replacement. To replace a decorative strip, e.g., if it is desired to use a different colored strip, it is only necessary to snake out the strip in place and to insert another one as it is unwound from a roll. If the strip is attached to the wall with a screw through hole 41 or by some other technique, of course it is first necessary to release it. It is also very simple to replace the wall panel. A wall panel may be removed simply by first detaching one of the brackets securing it to the wall. The bracket itself may be released by snaking out the decorative strip within its guides and then unscrewing the two screws 17 holding it to the wall. As for the overall appearances of the cab interior, it is apparent that it is vastly superior to those previously obtainable. Screws 17 holding the brackets in place are completely hidden as are faces 28 of the brackets. The only visible part of the brackets are the flanges 25 and portions of the sides 26. Almost the entire surface of the cab may be covered with either wood or similar panels, and colorful decorative strips.

Clip 13 may be omitted. In such a case the side edge of the rightmost flange 25 of bracket 20a holds panel 15 in place. It is also possible to use a bracket without the rightmost flange with the rightmost side 26 holding panel 15 in place. But for maximum rigidity clip 13 has been found to be of advantage.

FIGS. 5 and 6 depict a second illustrative embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment the basic brackets 20 are also employed. The difference in construction is in the corner bracket configuration. In the first illustrative embodiment of the invention each corner is provided with only a single decorative strip. It may be desirable however to provide two such strips at each corner.

For this purpose two mating brackets 20a and 50' are provided for each corner. Bracket 20a is similar to a basic bracket 20 except that one of the two flanges 25 is omitted as Well as the adjacent portion of side 26. Bracket 50 is similar at one end to the basic bracket, bracket 50 including a flange 25, side 26 and guide 27. The other side of the bracket 52 is similar to side 26 except that it does not extend away from face 28 to the same extent. Also, the rectangular section 51 is formed along the length of the bracket. It will be noted that the short side 26 and the connected guide 27 of bracket 20a conform to the right angle channel 53 of bracket 50. This is seen most clearly in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 6.

In installing the cab interior, bracket 50* is first attached to wall 11 by two screws such as 17 in FIG. 1. Thereafter bracket 20a is fitted into channel 53 and attached by two screws to wall 10. Panels 15, 18, etc., are then secured to the walls as in the first illustrative embodiment of the invention. The decorative strips 30 are then snaked into the various guides 27 as in the first illustrative embodiment of the invention. It will be noted that one such strip 30a is provided for bracket 20a, and another decorative strip 30a" is provided for bracket 50. As seen most clearly in FIG. 6 a symmetrical design is thus obtained.

Although the invention has been described with reference to two particular embodiments, it is to be understood that they are merely illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. For example, instead of providing the two bracket members of FIG. it is possible to provide a single bracket having the overall configuration shown in FIG. 6 for the two connected individual brackets 20a and 50. Thus it is to be understood that numerous modifications may be made in the illustrative embodiments of the invention and other arrangements may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

.1. A modular decorative interchangeable construction for a wall comprising at least two replaceable wall panels placed against said wall in spaced side by side relation, at least one inflexible bracket having a length substantially equal to that of said wall panels disposed between said wall panels, said bracket having a rear section disposed in front of said wall, two side sections having outward faces extending forwardly from the two rearward side edges of said rear section, two flanges each connected to a respective one of said side sections and extending outwardly therefrom, the outward edge of each of said two flanges extending out past the corresponding side edge of said rear section for bearing against the face of the adjacent wall panel, and inwardly projecting means on said two side sections forming opposed guides therein for establishing an internal channel within said bracket, said internal channel being forward of the face of said rear section and having a dimension in the direction away from said rear face which is substantially smaller than the thickness of said wall panels, attachment means in said rear section for securing said bracket to said wall with said rear section disposed in front of said wall, said two flanges being spaced in relation to said rear section such that each flange together with a flange on another bracket at opposite side edges of a wall panel are sufficient to hold said wall panel flush against said wall along the entire width of said wall panel, a longitudinally flexible, replaceable decorative strip contained within said internal channel adjacent the forward face of said rear section, said internal channel having at least one open end such that said decorative strip can be snaked through said internal channel to completely cover said attachment means, and a member attached to said wall adjacent said at least one open end of said internal channel and extending along said wall adjacent ends of said bracket and ends of the wall panels held by said bracket, said member having a thickness substantially equal to the thickness of the rear section of said bracket and a dimension in the direction of said bracket suflicient to allow said decorative strip to be bent without permanent deformation as it is snaked into said internal channel through the open end thereof.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,864,130 6/1932 Gibian 52-464 2,114,044 4/1938 Bonnell 52-285 2,274,317 2/1942 Bonnell 52--287 2,803,858 8/1957 Rader 52468 3,374,590 3/1968 Kessler 52464 JOHN E. MURTAGH, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

